The father of a bride wears a rainbow flag during the wedding ceremony at the Court of Justice of the State of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 8, 2013. 130 gay couples are getting married in the first massive wedding ceremony since the first gay marriage in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. (Photo Credit: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)

Six years ago, Musa Ali (not his real name) was linked up with a rich businessman in Yola, who ‘initiated’ him into gay sex. Ali was told that being gay would make him bold and feared. Of course, he was also told that he would make a huge load of money. Now 36, Ali is somewhat filled with regrets and wishing it were possible to turn back the hands of the clock. Sitting in the serene evening of last Thursday in Bankin Kogi at the bank of River Benue in Yola after a Herculean arrangement to get him to talk, he shared his story with our correspondent. Ali revealed that the rich and the powerful, both in business and politics hit the hay with him. Excerpts…

How did you become a gay?

A woman my friend introduced to me lured me into it. The woman linked me up with some men in business and in politics. The first man I was introduced to told me that having anal sex would fetch me good fortune and I would be bold to challenge anybody no matter his social status. He said that if I wanted to be rich and be likable, I should join the club of gays. He said that I would meet influential people and they would be attracted to me. Also, I was told that if I ask for anything, without hesitation, my demands would be obliged. He said whenever I speak, I would be feared and my wish would obeyed. That was six years ago. He made love to me during political campaigns and gave me N150,000. I bought a parcel of land with that money but later sold it.

How old are you now and what has been your experience?

I am 36 years old. As I said earlier, I have been in this business (anal sex act) for six years. But all that I was promised did not come to pass. The business has robbed me of my senses and personality. Big men patronize us, but the business is not worth it. The same big men that patronize and give us big money, somehow through diabolical means, snatch the same money from us. They make love to us and give us big money but we never really benefit from the money. I have often regretted being a gay but I cannot help it. I sometimes ask myself what are the benefits derivable from this act? Nothing at all! My earlier plan was that I would work as a gay, get huge amount of money and settle down with a beautiful wife. But I was unable to use the proceeds to do anything worthwhile or live a comfortable life. But that has not come to be after all. I have gained over N9 million as proceeds from this act but cannot account for it. The wealthy in the society only use us as mistresses and abandon us at the end. Although some of us are being courted by powerful men in the society, but they discard us like worthless rag in the long run after satisfying themselves.

You said you were told that homosexual sex would make you bold. Are you now bold and feared by people?

Yes, for the first two years, I was feared and respected. But I do not enjoy such power again.

Why is that so?

Honestly, I don’t know why.

Before you were introduced to the homosexual act, did you have affection for women?

Yes.

Do you still have affection for women now?

No. I used to have affection for women or young girls, but I no longer have such feelings and this is disturbing me seriously. It is disturbing because no matter how beautiful a girl is I cannot have feeling of love for her nor make love advances to her. She won’t be appealing to me. I regret becoming a homosexual. I found myself in a precarious situation because my colleagues might kill me if I dared to leave the business. We are expected to stick to the covenant we have all entered into.

Do you have a permanent partner?

I do not have a permanent partner because most of the people I have met did not want to maintain a permanent relationship, which would entail paying for my domestic needs and being responsible for my medical bills on certain ailments I could contract as a result of our participation in this gay sex. In fact, I was betrothed to a man in Yobe who eventually abandoned me. After that experience I decided not to have a permanent partner.

Who are you regular with?

Please skip that I cannot tell you. This is because most of our clients are big men in the society and mentioning their names will put my life in danger. My clients are businessmen and politicians. I don’t want to mention their names.

Please in confidence tell me about some of them.

Forget that. Please skip this question. If you don’t skip that I will not talk with you again. (Then he beckoned on the person that facilitated the interview and said to him, go with your friend. I can no longer discuss with him.)

Would you not regard what you are engaged in as prostitution?

(Getting angry now and frantically calling the person that facilitated the interview) frantically)

Tell your friend to leave me alone. What I do is not prostitution. Call it whatever name you like, it is a business as I am not here as a prostitute. It is people like you who embarrass and ridicule us, calling us all sorts of names and giving this business a bad name.

(He later calmed down and agreed to continue with the discussion after much pleading.)

Where are your clients?

They are from across the country but mostly in Kano, Yobe, Maiduguri, Bauchi, Gombe and Sokoto.

You said earlier your first client gave you N150,000. Is that what you get paid every time?

Each client at the local level in Yola pays between N10,000 and N12,000 per sex session. We don’t charge clients that are wealthy. We don’t charge the politicians because they are always ready to pay more than we ordinarily would have charged. A politician or a businessman can pay from N150,000 to N200,000 per sex session. The elite know what they derive from us sexually, which is not known to us.

Do you know that government has banned this your business? Government has enacted a law forbidding same-sex marriage and relationships?

I learnt so, but I am not sure.

Do you have health-related issue as a result of this business?

I don’t know until I see a doctor. We have, however, lost two persons who died as a result of the gay practice.

How did they die, please tell me?

They just took ill. They had health problems and they didn’t survive.

Are you going to stop the practice?

I actually want to stop, but I cannot stop because I will be killed by my colleagues for not complying with the covenant entered into not to disclose this activity to anybody. Probably, I have been hypnotized. I cannot tell.

Do you have an association?

No, we don’t have here, but the elite in some states may have association. We do not do this business in the open, so we cannot have an association.

Do your family members know you are gay?

My mother got to know about what I’m doing two years ago, but my father died 12 years ago before I started this business. It is only my mother that knows this but I have kept on denying. My mother was said to have cursed me after learning about this, but I don’t know if the curse is working on me or not.

Do you do the act on a bed or mattress?

That is not your business.

What religion do you practice?

That is not your business, please.

How will you feel if you are caught in this act?

I will not allow myself to be caught unless someone reports me to Civil Defence or the police.